HDTV Reviews

The guys at cnet have reviewed the Philips 42PF9631D and said that it is among the company’s least expensive Ambilight-equipped televisions yet, and since it costs about the same as other name-brand 42-inch plasmas, you’re not paying any more for the ‘lights–and you can turn them off. This HDTV has a solid feature set otherwise, and its distinctive style certainly increases its appeal. Testing revealed solid black-level performance and color that was a mixed bag, although we did notice a couple picture-quality issues that don’t plague other most plasmas or LCDs we’ve reviewed this year. That said, the image on the 42PF9631D will be perfectly fine for most viewers, and the rest of the package–especially the price–keeps it competitive.

Aside from Ambilight, the 42PF9631D offers a solid feature set. It has a native resolution of 1,024×768, as do most 42-inch plasmas. All material, whether HDTV, DVD, or standard television, is scaled to fit the pixels. You can choose to watch two shows at once, thanks to picture-in-picture and enjoy over-the-air digital and high-def shows via the ATSC tuner, which is common to almost every HDTV. Like many manufacturers, Philips did not include a CableCard slot, but that’s no big loss as far as we’re concerned. Read more

The Philips 42PF9731D flat-panel HDTV has three fluorescent backlights on the top and sides of its back cabinet. Place it on or near a white wall, and the colored lights project past the frame around the screen. Ambilight can be set to respond to the onscreen image — turning blue during a wide shot of a blimp in the summer sky over a sporting event, for example, then green when the camera returns to the grassy field. In effect, it extends the screen’s colors toward the edges of your walls and ceiling.
With a pair of HDMI jacks, two component-video inputs, and an assortment of lower-rez connections, the 42PF9731D can handle just about any home theater gear.

The Philips Ambilight 42PF9731D 42-inch LCD HDTV can produce a commendable picture in bright light, although its home theater image falls a bit short of what the best LCDs out there can produce. Read more

The Philips 32PF9731D is a 32-inch LCD HDTV with Pixel Plus 3 HD and Ambilight technology. The 32PF9731D/10 has a resolution 1366 x 768p, brightness of 550 cd/m², dynamic screen contrast of 7000:1 and a response time of 3ms.
Pixel Plus 3 HD technology provides bright and vivid colors and clarity to both HD and non HD sources. The 32PF9731D has two HDMI inputs two SCART, and UBS connection for showing photos on screen.

Philips have been working on 3D HDTV that creates 3D images in HD quality using a technology called WOWvx which does not require the use of glasses to see the special 3D effects. The TV uses advanced signal-processing and a special lens technology to produce the 3D effects.

Philips hopes to launch a consumer 3D HDTV in a few years. After test users have stated that “Golf balls and butterflies jump off the screen,” the article states.

This technology has great advantages over the other / older 3D technologies, as the no glasses means no fuss, just normal TV viewing with the extra thrill of 3D. One problem in the future might be getting TV stations to broadcast this format, as it has taken many years for them to accept HDTV.

The Philips 100-inch Ambilight has full Ambilight surround on all four sides rather than the earlier three. Philips’ latest FlatTV innovation – a prototype 100-inch (245cm) LCD TV with Ambilight Full Surround the new, four-sided version of Philips’ totally unique ambient lighting technology. Ambilight brings a completely new, transformational dimension to watching TV, creating an immersive viewing experience through a unique technique which matches the colour and brightness in the images being displayed on the television’s screen. Read more

The Philips 37PF9731D is a “Full HD” 1080p 37-inch Cineos Flat HDTV from Philips which features Pixel Plus 3 HD and Ambilight surround technology.

The Philips 37PF9731D has a high resolution of 1920×1080p and features Pixel Plus 3 HD for improved clarity and colors on both HD content and standard content. The Ambilight Surround technology projects colored light around the HDTV on three sides to match the overall average color that the HDTV is currently displaying to produce an effect that enhances your viewing experience by bringing you closer to the movie and also reduces eye strain.

The 37PF9731D has two HDMI inputs, scart component and many other usual connections. There is also a memory card reader, and usb connection for displaying photos from digital cameras. There is also a ethernet network connection for connecting the set directly to a computer so it can stream media files over the network, there is also an optional Wi-Fi (wireless) connection available to remove all network wire mess.

The Philips 42PF7621D is an award winning 42″ LCD HDTV from Philips. The 42PF7621D features Pixel Plus 2HD image enhancement for improved image clarity and colors along with improvement for standard non HD signals to improve the image display.

The Philips 42PF7621D has a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, with a brightness of 550 cd/m² and a contrast ratio of 4000:1 with a fast response time of just 8ms, for sharp pictures in fast motion scenes. Supported resolution is 1366 x 768p. There are two HDMI inputs, two scart connections, component and VGA for PC connection.
Read more

Philips has won prestigious recognition for its leadership in flat display technology by winning European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA) awards for two of its FlatTV(TM) sets – European High-End LCD TV, 2006-2007 for the Philips Cineos 37PF9731D, and European Green TV of the Year for the Philips 42PF7621D.

These latest EISA awards are, respectively, the eighth and ninth won by Philips for FlatTVs and FlatTV technologies in the ten years since Philips unveiled its first FlatTV in August 1996. The awards are also the 15th and 16th respective EISA TV titles won by Philips in the 14 years EISA has been holding its annual awards.

In naming the Philips 37PF9731D Cineos FlatTV with Ambilight(TM) Surround high-end LCD TV of the year, the EISA judges have highlighted Philips’ expertise in the emerging high definition TV market.

The 37PF9731D delivers the ultimate HDTV viewing experience by applying several key Philips technologies such as Pixel Plus(TM) 3HD and Clear LCD(TM) combined with a true 1920×1080-pixel LCD panel. EISA’s award citation notes how the set “impressive picture quality” with both HD and standard definition signals with the visual experience “enhanced further by Philips’ next-generation Ambilight Surround illumination”. Read more

The Philips 32PF7521D kick off nicely with twin HDMIs, but these receive handsome support from component video and PC jacks, a digital audio output, and the usual SCART/S-Video/composite video standards. What makes us particularly happy about all this is that unlike many previous Philips LCD TVs, you’re not expected to input digital video, component and PC signals through the same, single connector. Hallelujah.

The 32PF7521D has a digital audio output as the set has a built-in digital tuner, so the digital audio output is there to permit the export of Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks should the Freeview service start broadcasting them.

The 32PF7521D isn’t without its good points. For one thing, Pixel Plus’ talent for making standard definition pictures look massively sharper and more detailed than they would normally is clearly apparent. HD sources also look very sharp, suggesting that the HD ‘downscaling/upscaling’ process we described earlier isn’t causing quite as much nastiness as we might have feared.
Read more

Plasma screens have proven to be, arguably, the most popular consumer choice. A new model from Philips, the 50PF9631D/37, features the very latest technology and, with a 50-inch (diagonal) screen, is sure to make a big impression in any home-theater environment.

Three innovations combine to create the stunningly bright display. Pixel Plus+ 3HD technology enhances pixel creation to eliminate jagged lines. Two-channel Ambilight circuitry continuously analyzes and optimizes picture settings according to lighting conditions and creates a glow on the wall around the TV for enhanced viewing pleasure. Digital circuitry controls dynamic contrast and color enhancement.

We were very pleased with the overall display quality from the 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution. Plasma is known for high-contrast images with stunning color reproduction, and this model keeps that reputation intact.
Read more